Isko to prioritize tourism, SME revival

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno will promote the construction of tourism infrastructure as well as tourism that is sustainable and event-based, and the revival of small-scale businesses if elected president in 2022.

In his so-called Bilis Kilos 10-point agenda for governance, he will also push for the creation of tourism circuits or the concept of linking tourism sites that share common characteristics like food and heritage.

The program also projects the country’s tourism industry would thrive by the year 2028, or from eight million foreign tourists in 2019 to 24 million after nine years.

He revealed this during a visit to tourist destination Moalboal, Cebu yesterday, where he also praised the provincial government’s efforts to revive both the tourism industry and small and medium-sized businesses.

Moreno also proposed that local government units could use the additional IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) they would get from the Mandanas ruling like what he did in Manila through creative financial engineering.

He said he would use the additional money to “build, build, build: build more housing, more hospitals, more modern public schools and many others that provided more jobs during the pandemic.”

Cebu 3rd District Rep. Pablo John Garcia welcomed Moreno, who praised the congressman’s sister Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia for her program “Sugbo Negosyo” which he said “helped small businesses via a direct infusion of capital.”

He also called the program “a brilliant and doable idea.”